Take a look at this cartoon about miscommunications. There are 12 unique pictures and each one shows a different interpretation of the same situation. The customer, analyst, consultant all see and hear things differently.
Listening
If you are married, you don’t need a lecture on listening, but for those singles. . . beware. Even if you hear the words, it’s possible – almost likely – that you miss the meaning. We are all distracted by our thoughts, smart phones, and calendar.
We all hear what we want to hear
Look at picture top right where the business consultant described it as a luxury recliner. Why?
- Is that what the client wanted to hear?
- Is that how the person is compensated?
- Is that what the last client wanted?
Do a good job
Of course, the irony is that each “specialist” is doing a full-tilt bad job of #3 designing, #6 documenting, #7 installing.
Yes, sometimes the client can’t explain it
Take a look at #1 (how they described it) and #10 (what they wanted). Even the client, sometimes, is not perfectly clear on what they want. . . we see that in consulting all the time.
Active listening
Put it in context. Seek confirmation by writing meeting minutes, debriefing with team mates after a meeting, paraphrasing what you heard back to the client. Do not simply assume that you heard the client correctly.
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There is a history for that cartoon! It was created back in then 60s and it’s mainly used for project management. See: http://www.projectmanagementquestions.com/538/who-created-the-tree-swing-cartoon-in-project-management
Fadi, Thanks for the comment/ Yes, when I followed your link. . . it lead me to this website which has several photos and scans of drawings from the 1970s. Great to see that original ideas, even if witty metaphors, can last 40 years.